The Christmas Holiday Season

The Christmas Holiday Season is upon us. Erin and I visited Gardens A Glow in Boothbay Harbor about an hour south of us. It is a must for visitors to the Mid-Coast region. The Coastal Botanical Gardens are transformed to a magical. colorful lighted Winter Wonderland. more than 360,000 lights adorn the plants, trees, bushes, and structures. Visitors are guided along various pathways.Be on the lookout for Fairies and there houses on the walkways. Food stops offer hot chocolate and coffee, homemade kettlecorn, pizza, and a variety of sandwiches. Upon you arrival or on your way out, a gift shop with everything MAINE, provides many ideas for gifts during this holiday season.

Festivities for "Christmas by the Sea" occurred throughout the Rockland, Rockport, Camden, and Lincolnville corridor during the weekend of December 2-4, 2016. Wreaths lit the roadways in downtown Camden and Lincolnville Beach. A holiday concert, a parade with floats, carriage rides throughout town, and the community tree lighting kicked of the events in Camden on Friday. A silent auction benefiting PAWS animal shelter was held at the Samoset Resort in Rockland. On Saturday, in Rockport, Santa arrived by boat. Holiday cookie decorating took place at the Rockport YMCA. Santa later arrived by boat in Camden Harbor,followed by storytime with Santa, and photos with Santa.
Later in the afternoon, the tradition bonfire was lit at Lincolnville Beach with a large crowd keeping warm and singing Christmas Carols. Guess Who arrived by Firetruck at the beach and greeted the children? Yes...Santa. Residents of Lincolnville then gathered at the Schoolhouse Museum/LIA Building to take pictures with Santa, listen to Santa tells stories, and best of all, feast on homemade cookies. Concluding the evening the Lincolnville Community Social was held at the UCC at Lincolnville Center. All who attended agree it was a huge success from the silent auction to the fun dancing and listening to the music. The Ho Ho Holiday Book Fair at the Camden Library and the Nutcracker performing at the Camden Opera House concluded the events for this year's "Christmas by the Sea". You can start planning and set aside that first weekend in December for next year's festivities by going online and booking your room at Spouter Inn B&B for December 2017.

Wreaths Across America will be rolling through Lincolnville on Sunday, December 11 this year sometime between 1:30 and 2:30. Wreaths will be placed in the brook and carried out to the bay, symbolic of those who gave their lives to protect our freedom here in America. Check out the website....     https://www.facebook.com/WAAHQ/

Finally, Spouter Inn B&B will be open until 12 noon on December 24, 2016. We will reopen on December 30 getting ready for New Years Eve. Book your stay here at Spouter Inn B&B as we partner with local restaurants helping you to ring in the New Year 2017. Check us out at...

                                                            www.spouterinnbnb.com

Been a while since we posted, but weather continues to be amazing. Many visitors continue to stop and compliment us on the Inn. On the night of the Super Moon, many people stopped and parked across from the Inn and observed a spectacular moon rising, BIG, BOLD, AND BEAUTIFUL !!

Yet the event which brought guests to Spouter Inn Bed and Breakfast occurred Veterans Day weekend. Erin and I participated in the B&B for Vets Program this year.

"Over the past few years hundreds of B&B’s and inns across the United States and Canada have offered active and retired veterans free lodging for one night on or around Veteran’s Day. This program was started by Kathleen Panek, a West Virginia Innkeeper, and was appropriately named B&Bs for Vets. Once again this year, the Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals (AIHP) will manage, coordinate and publicize the B&Bs for Vets program to honor our hard working military.

The innkeepers participating in the 2016 B&Bs for Vets program will offer a minimum ofone room for one night and totally free. Most innkeepers will give their free rooms away on Thursday, November 10, 2016 so veterans can wake up at a B&B and enjoy Veteran’s Day activities on November 11th.  This year, innkeepers from eleven inns and B&B's throughout Maine participated in the program.

This year, Spouter Inn Bed and Breakfast in Lincolnville Beach, ME participated in the B&B for Vets program. Erin and Don Shirley, who bought the inn on September 1 and then opened the inn on September 9, 2016, offered and filled all 8 of their guests rooms for this year's event. Veterans and Active Military from cities and towns from New Hampshire and Maine enjoyed the three course breakfast offered by their hosts, the amazing views from the Inn overlooking Penobscot Bay at Lincolnville Beach, and the camaraderie among the members of our Armed Forces both past and present. Erin and Don hope that many veterans and active military will continue to take advantage of the B&B for Vets program in the years to come."

Many thanks to those inns across the USA and around the world who participated and opened their doors to retired and active military to enjoy a special night or more. We especially wish to thank our veterans and active members of our armed forces for all they do to preserve the land as free and home of the brave.

Lincolnville Beach in Mid October

     After the rain had stopped this morning October 19, 2016, around 9:30 am, with credit to The Beatles..."Here Comes the Sun". People continue to stop across the street daily...hourly,,,from the Inn to snap a quick landscape image, preserving the moment of the beach, or low tide, or the remaining boats on West Penobscot Bay.
     Today, the sun broke through, raising the temperature to a Real Feel close to 75 degrees. A few folks even decided to bring a chair or a blanket to the sandy part of Lincolnville Beach to relax and soak it all in. And that little voice in the back of my mind whispers to me how fortunate we are...how blessed Erin and I are running the Spouter Inn Bed and Breakfast here in Lincolnville Beach...a "jewel" of a location.

First week trials and guests and wonderful stories

September 18, 2016.....

     Erin and I had barely changed out the old Spouter Inn sign and hung a different one with different colors and B&B attached, when within an hour, we had our first guests. They were heading up the coast of Maine toward Bar Harbor visiting from Saskatchewan CANADA !! Great conversation especially about baseball as the Blue jays and the Sawx were battling it out at Rogers Centre. Off they went down the street for dinner at a local pub wearing their Blue Jays game jerseys to watch the game, enjoy some lobster, and enjoy the friendly ribbing from locals at the pub. 
     Not long after our Canadian friends had left, we had reservations for 2 nights for a couple from Massachusetts. Familiar with the area, they set out the next morning exploring the Mid-Coast, visiting museums, checking out lighthouses, and reporting back to us about a wonderful find....Morse's Sauerkraut and European Deli in Waldoboro, a must for our travelers passing through. 
    We had some time  during the rest of the week to take care of other jobs around the Inn. We also had the chance to attend our first Lincolnville Business Group meeting on Tuesday, networking with 10-12 other business owners, innkeepers, and members of the local Chamber of Commerce. Immediately, Erin jumped in and offered to host next month's meeting at Spouter Inn Bed and Breakfast. It was and will continue to be a great opportunity to create new friendships, share ideas, and find out more about the local community.  After tidying up around the Inn, it was time to visit the local recycling center. The residents of Mid-Coast Maine are very socially conscious and dedicated to protecting and preserving its surroundings. Ii is an impressive set up and equally impressive response by the locals with their concern and their  impact on the environment.
     The doorbell continues to ring and we hosted 3 more couples on Monday into Tuesday at the Spouter Inn Bed and Breakfast. This was our first challenge hosting more than one couple and serving breakfast the next morning to different couples at different times. Our visitors hailed from California, Michigan, and Virginia. All of the couples were driving south from Canada or the Bar Harbor region, along Route 1 and heading back home. More guests make for great conversation, great opportunities to assist and serve our guests in many ways beside serving breakfast and providing a place to sleep. Our most recent guests were a couple from a rural area just outside of Hamburg, Germany. After landing in Boston, they meandered their way up Rt 1 and eventually found their way to our Inn. At breakfast, they were our first couple to sample a latte macchiato from our Jura coffee brewer using coffee imported from Switzerland. And their faces lit up when Erin offered some Ovomaltine, a sweet, chocolate, crunchy cream spread with hazelnuts to spread on their toast !!! In the short amount of time during which we have been open, we have literally hosted people from around the world. We are extremely fortunate and blessed to be in this position to serve others in so many ways. 

We always welcome your comments and questions.


Innkeepers
Erin and Don Shirley

innkeepers@spouterinnbnb.com
www.spouterinnbnb.com

207-789-5171

We are OPEN....Be Our Guest !!!!

September 9, 2016....................
.......the day we, Erin and Don Shirley, will remove the "NO" from the NO VACANCY hanging on our sign for the  Spouter Inn Bed and Breakfast here in Lincolnville Beach, Maine. Erin and I, as new innkeepers, have moved thousands of boxes and cleaned hundreds of rooms here at the Inn. (HYPERBOLE !!!)

With the help of our friend Cindy from Manchester NH (where we are from), we got a great jump on the organizing and tidying up our inn....yes...OUR Inn. Paul and Catherine Lippman (former owners) have been extremely helpful assisting us by answering numerous questions about the operation of the Inn, answering questions about appliances in the kitchen, AC, hot water, etc. It sure helps that they are literally over the river and through the woods.

The people of the towns of Lincolnville and Lincolnville Beach have been very friendly and truly welcoming...forever stopping by, introducing themselves, and saying hello. We have met so many wonderful people. Yes we are extremely grateful to have this opportunity to purchase the Inn.

Finally, we wish to thank Rick and Janet Wolf of the B&B Team. Without their steadfast commitment to us, without their positivity, and without their belief in our dream of owning an inn, purchasing and now operating the Spouter Inn Bed and Breakfast would not be a reality.

So when you decide to get away, or take a vacation, consider visiting Mid-Coast Maine. Erin and I would love for you to be our guests at Spouter Inn Bed and Breakfast, right here on Route 1 in Lincolnville Beach, Maine. We are now OPEN !!!


Your Innkeepers
Erin and Don Shirley

innkeepers@spouterinnbnb.com
www.spouterinnbnb.com

207-789-5171